The brouhaha about our PM’s Bangla speech in the UN.
The news like those above dominated Bangladesh print and electronic media of today. Even the leading English daily, the daily Star started the report on PM’s UNGA speech this way, ” Hasina addressed the general assembly in Bangla. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did the same 35 years back”. Almost all the mainstream newsoutlet had the similar themes headline today. ‘After her father, who addressed UNGA in Bangla 35 years ago in 1974, prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the secnod head of the state to deliver the speech in Bangla in United Nations General Assembly Session.’. It seems, per our media and the foreign ministry, it is more important a news that our PM spoke in her native language, Bangla, than our concerns about climate change etc those were raised in our PM’s speech.
I can only disagree and complain about editorial policy news treatment priority in the media. But what I am supposed to do if our print and electronic media makes headline with false/ misinformations if not intentional lies? What our foreign office media section does— by distributing these nonsense news to the media? Isn’t this same foreign office, only couple of months ago, got reprimanded for lying about this PM’s official visit to Saudi Arabia?
So what’s wrong with the news of our PM’s second ever Bangla speech in united nations general assembly plenary session? The problem is that it is boneheaded nonsense false news.
This same PM, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, delivered Bangla speech in United Natioons general Assembly Planery session three times before.
Fifty-first Session, 40th plenary meeting, Thursday, 24 October 1996,
Fifty-fourth Session 5th plenary meeting Monday, 20 September 1999,
Fifty-fifth session 4th plenary meeting Wednesday, 6 September 2000,
Our other prime Minister, Mrs. Khaleda ZIa gave three speeches in UNGA general sessions, all of them in Bangla!
Forty Eighth Session, 13th Plenary meeting, Friday, 1 October 1993;
Fiftieth Session, 37th plenary meeting Monday, 23 October 1995,
Sixtieth session 10th plenary meeting, Saturday, 17 September 2005,
Her other speech was on the General Assembly Twenty-seventh special session on children on Wednesday, 8 May 2002, 3. During that session, in the aftermath of 9/11, as the sponsor of the draft resolution A/S-27/L.1, entitled ” The situation of and assistance to Palestinian children “, she delivered the opening statement in English.
Even before these two, in 1985, Ershad gave his sole UNGA speech in Bangla.
The media seems like locked in a competition to show more submissiveness to the government. And today’s news about Bangla speech shows how they are running out of their ideas in their flattery of the government and the PM. That day the Daily Star published a front page side by side protrait of our PM Sheikh Hasina and US President Barack Obama; as if they just are meeting in a face to face official meeting or releasing a joint official communique. The fact is that nothing such happened. Only time our PM could say hi to Mr Obama is when mr Obama hosted a dinner for all the visiting dignitaries from all the countries.
Just yesterday, an interview of a dissident AL leader, Mr Abdul Jalil, could not be broadcast by a London, UK based TV channel. Although no cause have been shown, it is clear that the interview was not broadcast under pressure from ruling party members. If a media outlet in London, UK is not out of the reach of long hand of the ruling party, we can imagine the power of the media in Bangladesh who would try defying the tide of the submissiveness called self censorship.
Many years ago during emergency rule in India, BJP leader L K Advani said this about Indian media, ” The media was asked to bend, but they chose to crawl”. Bangladesh media seems like decided to crawl with their nose touching the ground.
Daily Sangbad
Daily Jugantor.
“….if not intentional lies?”
Are you, oops – sorry we nuts Rumi (excuse my intentional sarcasm)! If this is not blatant lie – what lie is, is not yet invented.
“…If a media outlet in London, UK is not out of the reach of long hand of the ruling party, we can imagine the power of the media in Bangladesh who would try defying the tide of the submissiveness called self censorship.”
Think it happening during the last CTG. World would have been put upside down. We would have comments from many names who are not seen here any more now that there beloved AL is in power. All wrongs seen to have been given the blessing of righteousness. No more lafalafi in blogosphere and so why blame media!
Blogs are comparatively written by, read by, commented on by supposedly well educated english written citizens of the counrty. Most of them don’t care any more.
We should fee;l sorry for this country and should feel even more sad for the educated blind souls who have no way but to support such blatant lie. Shame on us.
[Reply]
much ado!
[Reply]
it happens only with Bangali/ Bangladeshi…
[Reply]
Very good observation indeed. Thank you Mr. Rumi for this.
However, there are few things to pay atention to in relation to this observed self-censorship in Bangladesh’s news media. The bruhaha, as Mr. Rumi said, is mainly about the factual inaccuracy of the number of times Bangla has been used in UNGA speech by the leaders of Bangladesh. He, however, also mentioned the ‘long hand’ of the party in power to influence media report published from even overseas. Thus, for Mr. Rumi, the mass media in Bangladesh are out of their ideas and foreign office media team is furbishing the news media with nonsense. While this criticism is apparently valid, it contains some important conceptual gaps in it. This criticisms are based on few assumptions, such as the news media are to report the ‘truth’ which is one and the same everywhere and to everyone (postmodenists would disagree with this, but please set that debate aside for the time being); and the news media should be independent of all political influences. Both the assumptions are faulty. News media do report the ‘truth’ but that is a particular kind of ‘truth’ understood by the journalists and the news organisation; they care less about the absolute truth, if there exists any such thing. In connection to this comes the idea that news media cannot be beyond political influences. And mass media in Bangladesh clearly demonstrate this in their content and editorial treatment of news all the time. Anyone can conduct a serious research about it, but I suspect news media have always been swining from one pole of the political spectrum in Bangladesh to another as the country’s political air shifts. That’s why we saw an absolute support in newspapers to the country’s independence movement during the late ’60s although not all Bangalees were absolutely sure that independence from Pakistan had been achievable. After that, we saw unquestioned support to the Awami League and Sheikh Mujib era, and suddenly a 180-degree about turn and support to the military powers and subsequently to Ziaur Rahman and Ershad. Further changes occured as the anti-autocracy movement against Ershad gained momentum, and the support to such movement became widespread, and ultimately the news media became part of the anti-Ershad movement itself. From then on, during the recent ‘democratic’ rules, the news media and journalists provided suport to the party in power.
So, in my view, it is not that journalists in Bangladesh are running out of their ideas; but rather cleverly positioning themselves in the country’s political, economic and cultural games, which apparently looks naive with all the mistakes, inaccuracies and flatterings in news content. Never mind the inaccuracies, we need to support Hasina, come what may, for protecting our own interests (Replace it with names like Khaleda, Iajudding or Gen Moin according to the time you talk about). The owners of news media and some senior journalists are well aware of these games (supporting or opposing a political party, and gaining their support in return), but many others think that such inaccuracies are just technical mistakes or ignorance etc., and avoidable These games are not deliberate and conspiratorial either, they become natural part of thinking and acting of the journalists and political leaders involved. That’s why we see news media in Bangladesh once support blindly the Awami League and then withdraw it and suport the anti-awami League elements. That’s also why we see journalists in New York Times or Washington Post once thought that Soviet journalists had been under heavy censorship and cannot perform true journalism, while Pravda journalists thought they had been doing true journalism with only different political regimen in their society. The same idea explains why American and European news media once became absolutely sure about the existance of ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in Saddam’s Iraq, and subsequently only criticised Bush and Blair for telling a lie to them. Isn’t it interesting!
I would thus suggest everyone to look at why news media say so instead of saying this particular information in inaccurate etc. Only then we would understand better why banner headlines in Bangladesh are saying this is the second time after three/four decades you can hear Bangla in UNGA.
Thank you.
Zaman
[Reply]
When last Khaleda Zia gave her speech in UNGA in 2005, this is how Daily Star / New Age reported this…
http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/09/16/d5091601022.htm
http://www.newagebd.com/2005/sep/16/front.html#2
Not a single word about Bangla speech.
BTW, the only head of govt who gave speech in English in recent years is Mr Fakhruddin Ahmed in 2007 and 2008.
[Reply]
This is rather funny that while pointing at lie/mistake of MOFA and bangladeshi media, you made another mistake/lie in your article. According to you, “Only time our PM could say hi to Mr Obama is when mr Obama hosted a dinner for all the visiting dignitaries from all the countries.”
a) President Obama did not host any dinner for “all the visiting dignitaries from all the countries”. However, he hosted a dinner for top contributors in UN peace keeping force. The number of high level guest was 10.
b)PM also meet with President Obama when the GS organized another separate lunch for 25 state leaders. Somehow, Sheikh Hasina sat beside the President Obama. I am sure the PM said more than just “hi” to the President.
However, I am not sure why we are talking about this nonsense. Funny thing is that more people will participate here then contributing in Fariha’s piece, which is far more important for Bangladesh. In fact, the PM is going to spend significant amount of her time raising this issue in her upcoming foreign trips. Climate change was one of the key component of her UNGA speech.
The Prime Minister had a very busy and meaningful foreign trip. MOFA could have asserted those. But no… they had to produce a “history” without fact checking. These people know how to chop their head! Seriously!
[Reply]
Thanks for giving us the true information with refereeing the day .We thought Dipu Moni would be better than many but she seems a owner of a oil pump for keeping her position & using the oil all the time ! when our ministers will stop behaving like a junior executive of civil bureaucracy ? !
Just borrowing a word from Bangabandhu to MR Akhter Mukul ” Mukul tui ar futli na ” are Bangladesh er ministers will never be mature or couragious to tell any truth because they are the whole sellers of lie & after militiary rgime beahving like Lie Ten Ant ! ? shame …
is the PM started fighting with her own shadow ? !
[Reply]
I find it quite consistant with our culture of distorting history and “doliokoron ” ( I do not know the english word for doliokoron ) ! Almost like Bangabandhu organized and led the Language movement , AL proposed and convinced UN to declare 21st Feb as Mother Language Day or Zia was democratic !!!!
[Reply]
Speaking of “Doliokoron”
Is the PM of Bangladesh wearing a huge gold “nouka” as a brooch?
Can you imagine President Obama wearing a Donkey coat pin instead of the US flag anywhere?
What is wrong with our Foreign Office? Why are they not briefing her right?
[Reply]
tacit Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Obama, no. Bush, certainly.
[Reply]
Fariha Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Tacit,
Have you seen Bush wear an elephant(ile) tie pin to any function where he was representing his nation? I haven’t.
[Reply]
tacit Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
I was referring to Mr. Bush’s intellectual standing, not his party affiliation.
Your point is well taken.
hello! Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 4:45 am
Very good observation fariha
[Reply]
kopasamsu Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 12:55 am
bottom line is that they dont care for the people, but the people care for them blindly so the blame should go with the people for supporting them
[Reply]
fugstar Reply:
September 30th, 2009 at 3:56 am
moronarchic suicide.
a great thankyou to all its cheerleaders.
Dear Smart Observer (!) Rumi
Speech in Plenary session and speech in General Assembly – you have enveloped Plenary with GA to establish (!) your so-called self-claimed observation. Tricky attempt indeed!
In anyway, you are having a negative eye to AL, AL PM & AL voters in general and to the existing media in particular.
Seems you have not marked the importance that has been put over climate change part in PM’s speech. Was the ‘Bangla speech’ difficult for you to understand? Or, you possess negative ears as well!
Talk less, or your ignorance will be opened to all.
Bye
Dahook
Bangladesh
[Reply]
Dahook
Can you clarify what you are trying to say? I did not get it. You mean that speaking in General Assembly is different from speaking in plenary session? My understanding is that General Assembly Debates are arranged into several days of morning afternoon plenary sessions.
[Reply]